Voices of the People
by Densharr
Summary: Four 11th grade students meet an unusual bump in the road of their lives... High T for language, really, because which 11th graders don't swear like sailors?


Because people can be so god-fucking-damn judgmental.

Post-Tokyo. The Titans have been established in the city for years, and are all out of their teens.

I own nothing. /note

- - - oOo - - -

**Voices of the People**

Laurence laughed as he watch Harry run around in the park.

"Look at me! I'm Beast Boy! I'm a hyper, idiotic freak who can turn into animals! SCARY"

The tenth grade students were hanging out in the park with their friends. It was a group a quartet; Laurence, his best friend Harry, Harry's girlfriend Nikki, and Nikki's friend Ashley.

Harry eventually made his way back to the group's side before kissing his girlfriend on the cheek and collapsing on the grass, exhausted.

"Did I tell you that me and Nikki saw the Titans the other day?"

"What? No way. When?" Ashley leaned forward, enthralled. It was no secret among the group that she had a massive crush on Robin. He was, after all, good looking, protective, and, best of all... available. Oh, there were the rumours in the tabloids about Robin shacking up with that alien chick, but nobody actually believed what they read in those papers.

"Yeah, we were at the mall in South Jump, Green Fields, when suddenly this fat weirdo in a trench coat ran out of the video store laughing like a maniac. We kinda milled around, trying to see what was going on, ya know?" At his friends' eager nods, Harry continued. "So there we were, trying to peek around in at the video store when all of a sudden people started screaming. And this wasn't the fun kind of screaming, where you're having a total blast. This was terrified, oh-my-gawd-I'm-going-to-DIE screaming. As everybody ran past us, we saw a raptor stick its head out of the store. A fucking VELOCIRAPTOR. Right outta fucking Jurassic Park, man."

"So what happened next?"

What do you think happened? Nikki screamed like a little girl-"

"So did you, Harry! Stop making me look bad!"

"Okay, so we both screamed. I mean, come on, VELOCIRAPTOR. Anyways, as it left the store, another must have been seven raptors came walking out right after it. At this point, it was everyone for themselves. I managed to get me and Nikki into the Rembrandt Jewellers – you know, the one with the big brass door? - and locked the door. The guys who worked there started to tell us off until one of the dinosaurs slammed into the wall. They shut up pretty fast after that. We hadn't been in there for very long when it was slammed with a beam of bright blue light. A second later, we saw Cyborg ran past us, flashing us a grin and chasing after the monster."

"Like, ew. Cyborg?" Ashley held her nose in disgust. "I mean, why couldn't you have been rescued by someone, you know, normal?"

"You mean like Robin?"

"Sigh... yeah, like _Robin_..."

"Well, the fight was kinda back and forth there for a while. I mean, we got to see all the Titans at one point or another – The fat guy kept popping more things out of TVs to fight them. We saw the alien chick wrestling with some freaky winged _thing_, while Robin was tangling with a woman with a giant metal gauntlet that had a fucking three foot blade coming out of it. That creepy witch was fending off a bunch of people who had guns that shot lightning at her, and the green one was fighting off a bunch of hairy apes-like thingies. They looked like something from a sci-fi show, I swear.

It wasn't long after we saw them that Cyborg was blasted through the window by something. We all looked out from behind the counters and we saw half a dozen soldiers in odd red armour that had balls of fire burning above their hands. Cyborg yelled at us to 'Get Down!' and as we ducked down, we saw a solid sheet of flame pass overhead. By the time that we dared to take a look up, the scorched shop was empty."

"Dude... That's pretty cool."

"Tell me about it. Eventually, they cleared out the mall and sent the guy to prison. Although the prison here seems to have a revolving door on it – anyone else notice that?"

"Like, totally."

Laurence gave his friends a knowing look. "So, who's the hottest Titan?" At his friends' blank looks, he sighed. "Come on guys, I've got that article in the school paper about them. Any help would be _much_ appreciated."

"Well, the alien chick is pretty hot-Ow! What the hell, Nikki?"

"I'm the only girl you're supposed to look at, remember? Don't ogle that ditzy ET. I mean, she dresses like a goddamn hooker, or something. Does she have any self-respect at all? Robin's pretty hot, though."

"Is he ever..."

"Dammit Ashley, not asking you. WE all know about your uber-crush on the Boy Wonder."

"Wha, What are you talking about?" Ashley furiously tried to cover her blush, much to her friends' amusement.

Nikki lifted a hand to her chin "Now that I think of it, Cyborg wouldn't be too bad looking... if it wasn't for the metal. I mean, I know that that gets some people off, but seriously? I'll have to agree with Ash here: Ew."

"How 'bout Raven? I mean, a lot of villains hit on her, so she's gotta be decent looking, am I right?"

"Dude, I wouldn't touch that frigid witch with a ten foot pole, thanks. I'd sooner have sex with the robot than with her. I mean, she's totally creepy. Look in the dictionary, and instead of an entry for 'creepy' you'd see her picture."

A passing jogger with a near-black dog gave them a dirty look as she slowed. "And how about Beast Boy? How do you feel about him?"

"That? Pffft. He's barely more than the team pet. I mean, come on. What kind of lame power is that? It's almost as bad as heart, I swear."

"Oh yeah, no doubt. I mean, why do they even bother keeping him around? I see him getting tossed around all the time."

The woman graced them with a look of disgust. "You know, it's teens like you that give the next generation a bad name." She half-turned so that they could see a pale white line running from her heel, all the way up her leg and disappearing into her short jogging shorts. "You see this? Three months ago, I was attacked some sort of bladed monster. I thought that I was going to die; I was so weak from blood loss. I managed to pull myself into a nearby alleyway, but it followed me in. I tried screaming for help, but I knew that by the tie someone had heard me and called the cops, I'd already be dead. Just as it leapt at me, a wall of black appeared in front of me. That 'creepy' girl had saved my life. As her hands started glowing, I heard her call out. 'Gar?' A second later, I heard a voice calling out that he had it. The monster was then bowled over by a massive green bear and before I could see anymore, she took me through one of her portals. That's the last thing I remember. So the next time that you insult the Titans, remember that there's dozens of other people with stories exactly the same as mine. They might not be normal to you or I, but they've done more good for the city than you could ever dream of." Spitting on the ground near them, her and her dog stalked off.

"Man, can you believe that chick? I mean seriously, she's got a bad case of hero worship."

"Totally, man." The friends reclined in the fading afternoon sun, talking a little more of the Titans, but mainly just enjoying the day. They were in the middle of a round of 'Who would you LEAST rather Do" when they heard a noise from farther up the tree. The guys were in favour of checking out but the girls convinced them to let it drop.

"So, Ash, who would YOU least rather do out of... Gizmo, Cyborg or Beast Boy?"

"Well... Gizmo's just a perverted midget. But Cyborg's eighty percent metal, so definitely not him. Besides, it doesn't even look like he's got the equipment to qualify, if you know what I mean."

"So... Beast Boy, then?"

"EWWW! NO. Not even if he was the last thing on earth. I mean, I'd swear off sex forever before I had sex with him. Like, bestiality is just... ewwww. I pick Gizmo."

"I'd pick Beast Boy." The friends turned to see a short woman in loose sweats and a hooded sweater.

"What kind of fucked up sexual deviant are you? Do you like to dress up in leather and crack a whip, too?" Harry turned to his friends and stage whisper "Freak."

A squirrel jumped down from the tree above them. It took the friends a second to notice, but they realised two very important things.

The first was that there were no other trees nearby, so the squirrel couldn't have jumped into the previously empty tree.

The second, and most important, was the fact that the squirrel was _green_.

"Awww... Rae, I'd pick you too." The rodent shifted into the familiar green hero and grinned at the suddenly-sick looking young teens. As he rested his arm on the shoulder of the hooded woman. "Oh, hey there. Didn't see you guys. Name's Beast Boy, though Rae here calls me Gar."

"That's enough, Gar." The woman pulled back her hood and the teens' faces drained completely as they recognized the red gem in her forehead and the purple eyes and hair. She kissed the green man lightly on the cheek before she turned to the students. "It's scum like you that make me question every single day whether or not humanity is worth saving. You disgust me. Let's go, Gar." The shapeshifter gave them one last wink before he morphed into a green-black raven and lifted off into the air after the sorceress.

- - - oOo - - -

"Don't'cha think that that was kinda harsh, Rae? I mean, they're just kids."

"Jut kids? We were younger than them when we took on the mantle of protectors to the city. We've been protecting the since before they even entered middle school, and this is what they think of us? We should have accepted that membership into the League, Gar. At least they get the respect they deserve."

"That invitation wasn't closed, Raven. You know that the League purposely left it open for us. Besides, this is home. We can't just leave it defenceless."

"I just... I just don't understand."

"Raven?" Gar looked over to his girlfriend, who was sitting on the edge of the roof. They'd arrived back at the Tower not long ago, and were looking to the west, watching the sun set.

"How can you be okay with what they said? They called you an animal, Gar!"

"I am."

That admission took Raven by surprise more than almost anything else. "What?"

"You heard me, Rae. Well, I'm at least ninety percent animal. And frankly, after days like today, I'm relieved to not be sharing a species with people like that."

"How do you never let them get to you, though?"

"Because, Rae, I've got friends. Real friends. You guys have had my back through thick and thin, no matter what. Why should I let a bunch of stupid kids who don't know anything about me judge me? Besides... I've got you."

"Me? What do I have to do with anything?"

"Raven... your opinion counts more than anything. You should know that." He gave her a soft smile, one of the few real ones that she saw him give. Not one of the artificial smiles he used every day to cloak his pain, but a true smile. "I could be the most incompetent, disgusting, idiotic guy in Jump and I'd still feel like a million bucks. Your opinion of me is the only one that really matters, Rae." He brushed his lips against hers for a heartbeat before resting his forehead against her _chakra_. Throwing an arm around her, he pulled her close as the sun set over the horizon.

- - - oOo - - -

A/N: Anyone able to identify at least 4 TV/movie references gets a free Teen Titans oneshot (note; NO RobRae) (and no, the dinosaurs don't count)


End file.
